17 people killed in India
Fifty-seven people were killed and over 1,100 injured in Nepal after a fresh tremor measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck the country on Tuesday. The epicentre of the quake was reported to be in the Dolakha district, north-east of Kathmandu. The tremor affected 32 districts, with several buildings being destroyed as well, the police said. Meanwhile, 16 people were killed due to tremors in Bihar and one in Uttar Pradesh. On April 25, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale killed over 8,000 people in Nepal.
Modi playing tricks, says Chinese newspaper
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was criticised by a Chinese newspaper on Tuesday for “playing little tricks” over border issues to enhance his prestige,. In a column written for the state-run Global Times ahead of the Indian leader's visit to China on May 14, Hu Zhiyong, an international relations research fellow from Shanghai's Academy of Social Sciences, said that Modi hoped to “boost his domestic prestige while increasing his leverage in negotiations with China”. The column urged the Indian government to stop supporting the Dalai Lama, adding that it had to stop making the “Tibetan issue a stumbling block to the Sino-Indian relationship”.
Land bill referred to joint committee
The Union government referred the Goods and Services Tax Bill to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The 21-member panel was asked to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the Monsoon session of Parliament. The amended Land Acquisition Bill was also referred to a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament. The panel will be headed by Bharatiya Janata Party member SS Ahluwalia. It will include 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The land acquisition ordinance will be re-promulgated by the government after the Budget session ends on Wednesday.
Rahul accuses government of undermining farmers
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of attacking the welfare of farmers by removing “farmer-friendly” clauses from the Land Acquisition Bill. In a speech in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that the National Democratic Alliance’s version of the bill had done away with the social impact and consent clauses and that the government would only acquire land that had a high real estate value.
President appoints governors to six states
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday appointed new governors to six states in the country. Droupadi Murmu replaced Syed Ahmed as governor of Jharkhand, with Ahmed being transferred to Manipur. JP Rajkhowa was appointed as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, while Tathagata Roy and V Shanmuganthan were appointed as the governors for Tripura and Meghalaya respectively. Nirbhay Sharma was transferred to Mizoram for the remainder of his term.
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Fifty-seven people were killed and over 1,100 injured in Nepal after a fresh tremor measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck the country on Tuesday. The epicentre of the quake was reported to be in the Dolakha district, north-east of Kathmandu. The tremor affected 32 districts, with several buildings being destroyed as well, the police said. Meanwhile, 16 people were killed due to tremors in Bihar and one in Uttar Pradesh. On April 25, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale killed over 8,000 people in Nepal.
Modi playing tricks, says Chinese newspaper
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was criticised by a Chinese newspaper on Tuesday for “playing little tricks” over border issues to enhance his prestige,. In a column written for the state-run Global Times ahead of the Indian leader's visit to China on May 14, Hu Zhiyong, an international relations research fellow from Shanghai's Academy of Social Sciences, said that Modi hoped to “boost his domestic prestige while increasing his leverage in negotiations with China”. The column urged the Indian government to stop supporting the Dalai Lama, adding that it had to stop making the “Tibetan issue a stumbling block to the Sino-Indian relationship”.
Land bill referred to joint committee
The Union government referred the Goods and Services Tax Bill to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The 21-member panel was asked to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the Monsoon session of Parliament. The amended Land Acquisition Bill was also referred to a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament. The panel will be headed by Bharatiya Janata Party member SS Ahluwalia. It will include 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The land acquisition ordinance will be re-promulgated by the government after the Budget session ends on Wednesday.
Rahul accuses government of undermining farmers
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of attacking the welfare of farmers by removing “farmer-friendly” clauses from the Land Acquisition Bill. In a speech in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that the National Democratic Alliance’s version of the bill had done away with the social impact and consent clauses and that the government would only acquire land that had a high real estate value.
President appoints governors to six states
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday appointed new governors to six states in the country. Droupadi Murmu replaced Syed Ahmed as governor of Jharkhand, with Ahmed being transferred to Manipur. JP Rajkhowa was appointed as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, while Tathagata Roy and V Shanmuganthan were appointed as the governors for Tripura and Meghalaya respectively. Nirbhay Sharma was transferred to Mizoram for the remainder of his term.